How to Show Mercy
Show mercy to those who are wavering. Save others by snatching them out of the fire. Show mercy to still others with fear, hating even the clothing that is stained by the flesh. (Jude 22–23)
There is this idea that sharing ones faith should be the same for every person. If you aren’t talking about your faith, then you aren’t sharing it. And you need to talk to everyone in the same way. They have to hear that they are sinners and they need Jesus as their savior. And for some people, that is exactly what they need to hear.
But James tells us that we are to share our faith in different ways. We are to show mercy, undeserved love to some, who are wavering, having doubts, and unsure of faith. Some people we need to snatch out of the fire, showing them the severity of their current reality. Showing them that their sins are leading them down a path that only leads to eternal torment and fire. Still others, we show them the mercy of God, while being mindful of the traps that they may be setting for us. We share our faith with these people in a way that does not allow them to argue with us or attempt to pull us into their twisted beliefs and way of life.
No matter how we share our faith, the message never changes. The mercy that God has shown us is the same mercy that we show to others. We show them a savior who loves us and died so that we no longer have to live in our sin. We are free to live as God wants us to, striving always to please him and repenting when we do fall into temptation. Amen.
The song for today is “Kindness” by Chris Tomlin